THE WATER SUPPLY.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 105, 27 January 1908, Page 7

THE WATER SUPPLY.

A SERIOUS POSITION. CONSUMPTION EXCEEDS INFLOW AT ' WAINUI. ; .NEED.'FOR. EXTREME CARE. ■ For tho . past week :.,or > , ton days Ti;e., Dominion ' lias been _ endeavouring^:to .bring, hcini;. to tfie publio. : the,,ne,(jd.-..fpr .■jtronificarOjm thbiuse.iof watcjr,. avfnptter of-,: fnct, Wellington has never, been in so serious a situation regarding its water supply it is at tha-prc'sent time, and if raiti 'dbes not. come very soon the position will become as acute to dwellers within the , city,.,as .it is already to those in the suburbs Who have j •hud to depend on tanks fod frorii the water-1 shod pronded by the domestic roof. ' ■ The last .report respecting the state of affairs at Wainui was that the stream was holding its own, meaning that there was as much water running in as was running out through the city main,'or nearly so,'os what tho basin lost in the day time' was mado up during the night hours, and there was a dribblo over the by-wasli in the mornings which was satisfactory. 1 v ( ■But a grayer point hoa been reached. Tne amount of watur found overflowing, each 'morning has been a diminishing , quantity, ■'until oil Friday last, the level of'the-water in the' basin was found to bo - five inches bolow the by-wash—'which 'is. believed to ho the lowest state it has over been in since tho reservoir was constructed. There have' been occasions during long'dry spells in midsummer when the overflow lias practically ceased, but fivo inches extending over the whole surface of the lake means an immense body of water.

What would 1 make the , situation doubly acute is. the possibility of a bush-fire in the ■\Vainui watershed. Ijires have been raging air over the country during the past fortnight, and it is not reasonable, to suppose that, with a continuation of the abnormally dry weather that is being experienced, the Wainui btish can 1 be preserved, though every precaution is being taken. The destruction of the bush in tlie reservoir valley would indeed be a calamity to tho city, as it is well-known that bush country induces a greater rainfall than that devoid of vegetation - • •

Mr. Morton (Cily Engineer), wlio visited Wainui yesterday, does not think there is mucli likelihood of fire there, at present. The bush is pretty green, and the Council has a very good man as caretaker to preserve its interests in that- respect. The warnings that have been issued to the public have not had much effect, the Vcivturi meter showing a daily consumption of 3,200,000 gallons, and Mr. Morton wishes to impress oil everyone the need for care.

For some hours during the day somp of the residents 011 the levels have lieen unable to get water. Mr. Morton explains that this is caused through tho Karon supply having been shut off, so that when the greatest strain is .placed on Wainui during t-ho busy hours, there is not sufficient pressure to foreo the water up to those levels, but there has been no cutting off. _ The Wainui reservoir recovered slightly by the rest it got yesterday,' The Karon hasm is falling nt the rate of three-quarters of an inch per dsty.